On Without End
by This Is My Escape
Summary: When Stefan leaves Elena alone on Christmas Eve, Damon decides to takes her somewhere he hopes will lift her spirits. AU.


**_AN_**_**:** I wrote this for Mollie. This was her prompt for the DE Holiday Exchange: _

_"Stefan doesn't want to go all out to celebrate this Christmas because he thinks that they have more important things to focus on (I.E, finding that damn cure). Everybody else has gone out of town to celebrate. Elena has settled for no Christmas times this year because she knows she has an eternity of them ahead of her, but Damon won't accept her spending her first Christmas as a vamp alone and unhappy. He takes her to somewhere which shows her genuine beauty and makes her smile for the best Christmas ever! Smut or no smut - me happy! Just lots of happiness and Christmas cheer!" _

_Happy Reading!_

**_Side note: _**_I wrote this before 4x06 aired._

_**Pairing: **Damon and Elena, of course.  
_

**_Rating:_**_ T for language._

* * *

_**On Without End**  
_

Jumping out of her SUV on Christmas Eve and slamming the door, Elena frowned at the morose exterior of the Salvatore boarding house. There were no lights, no garlands, no nothing. _Where the hell are all of the decorations?_ she wondered, her festive spirits sinking slightly at the lack of holiday spirit. This wasn't very Christmassy. Suddenly, she smiled, hurrying up the front walk. _Maybe they decided against putting on a show on the outside, and __went__ crazy on the inside._

Okay, so maybe not _crazy. _They weren't the Griswold's after all, but surely the brothers had put up a tree at least.

Christmas had truly snuck up on Elena this year. She'd been so wrapped up in dealing with her transition, hunters and psycho pastors that the first winter snowfall had thrown her back into reality with bruising force. One after the other, her friends and even Jeremy had informed her of their plans – plans that hadn't included her – and headed out of town. They'd all assumed that she'd spend the holiday with her boyfriend, so that's what she was going to do – spend Christmas with Stefan.

"Stefan!" Elena cried, throwing open the front door, disappointment slicing through her upon finding the inside just as depressing and dour as the outside – as if it was just another week in Mystic Falls. A fire was roaring in the hearth, but there were no stockings hanging from the mantle, no Christmas tree with tinsel tucked into the corner, sheltering brightly wrapped gifts, and no music playing from either the ancient phonograph or the state-of-the-art sound system with its hidden speakers.

She knew she should blame not only her boyfriend, but a certain blue-eyed Salvatore as well... she shoved the thought aside.

Finding Stefan easily with her improved hearing, Elena flew up the stairs and into his room. "Stefan?" she called, knocking lightly, but opening the door before he could respond, too impatient to wait for an answer. She frowned at the sight of him packing clothes into a bag. "What are you doing?"

Glancing over his shoulder, he tucked his shirt neatly into the duffle.

"Where are you…" she trailed off, her brows furrowing as she swallowed. "You're leaving? Now?"

"Yeah," he answered, clearing his throat and zipping up the bag. "I've got something I need to take care of."

"Stefan, it's Christmas Eve," Elena reminded him in a distinctly petulant tone. "Whatever it is, can't it wait?"

"No, Elena, it can't," he insisted solemnly, throwing the bag over his shoulder as he met her at the door. "I wish I could stay and spend the holiday with you, but this is more important."

"Then I'll go with you," she offered immediately, running her hand down his back. "I'll go with you and –"

"You're staying here," he said, leaving no room for argument as he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her soundly. Elena responded without thought, kissing him back automatically while the little voice in her head told her for the millionth time that she was living a lie.

_You don't feel anything when he kisses you, do you? _

Pulling back, the green-eyed vampire smiled to soften the blow and murmured, "Hopefully, when I come back, I'll be able to give you the greatest gift that any of us could receive."

She stared at him with wide, shining eyes, confused by his cryptic declaration. "What does that mean?"

"It means…it means that I want you to trust me."

Adjusting the strap of his duffle bag, Stefan headed for the stairs without waiting for Elena's response. Swallowing thickly, she watched him, trying to do as he asked and trust him, but his lies about Connor were still raw; the image of him stabbing Damon in the back with vervaine still fresh in her mind.

She didn't know if she could.

"I'll be back as soon as can," he said, pausing at the top of the stairs and offering her another strained smile that left her feeling cold. He told her, "I love you, Elena. Merry Christmas."

Heartbroken, her eyes followed him down the stairs until he disappeared, listening as he crossed the entryway and opened the front door. As the heavy wooden barrier latched shut behind him, a tear ran down her cheek.

Evidently, she'd be spending Christmas alone this year.

* * *

Damon entered the living room, surprised, confused and admittedly a little irked to see a tiny brunette huddled in front of the fireplace. He'd heard the crackling of the firewood and came down to make sure that his brother had remembered to put the hearthgate up to keep the damn house from burning down. His eyes settled on her form; he couldn't see her face, but with her hair tucked behind her ear and her knees pulled up to her chest, he knew she was pouting and unhappy, so he wasn't surprised when she glanced at him over her shoulder, eyeing him morosely for a moment before turning back to watch the flames jump back and forth with intense ferocity.

_What the hell?_ Damon wondered, his shoulders sagging as he rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. _Why's she alone instead of with Broody?_ Knowing that he was going to regret engaging, he said. "Elena."

As a human, she would have jumped, but now that she was a vampire, he was sure she'd heard his quiet footfalls as he'd exited his bedroom on the second floor and descended the steps to the foyer. He couldn't have snuck up on her even if he'd wanted to. When she didn't respond, Damon let out a sharp, annoyed breath.

"What's wrong? Did Barbie not invite you to the town Christmas party?" he quipped flippantly, heading toward her as she shook her head mutely and kept her eyes trained on the fire. "Come on, Pouty. Don't let that ruin your holiday. If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't invited either." His joking demeanor failed to earn the response he wanted.

"Caroline's out of town," she revealed, her voice was quiet and shaky as she sniffled and gave a small shrug. "Sheriff Forbes took her to Charleston for break; wanted her to get out of town." Taking in the slight quiver of her bottom lip, Damon's stomach flipped. The last fucking thing he needed was for her to start crying. He sucked at consoling people and this was Elena, which automatically made it worse. There was no way he'd be able to handle it.

"Well, what about the Witch-Bitch?" Damon asked, grinning as she rolled her eyes and wiped her nose with the back of her hand, laughing softly. That was the response he was looking for – the one he knew he could work with. Flopping down beside her, he leaned back on the palms of his hands and nudged her knee with his. "Oh, come on. You're telling me your friends left you all alone?" When she shrugged, giving an almost imperceptible nod, Damon frowned. "Well, they officially suck."

"Damon," she admonished lightly. "They don't suck. They do have lives that don't revolve around mine, you know…"

"Okay…so how about Jeremy? Your brother would spend _Joyeux Noel_ with you."

"He went to…Denver for break," she explained, glancing at him briefly as her cheeks turned pink and she fiddled with her hands. Denver. She didn't need to elaborate. "He's visiting friends. He wouldn't admit it, but we both know he needed to get out of Mystic Falls, Damon."

Oh, he knew. As far as he was concerned, they _all_ needed to get the hell out of Mystic Falls. The place was a danger magnet.

"Well, what about _my_ brother?" he retorted, frustrated all over again that the baby vamp-sitting had once again fallen into his lap. He'd accepted Elena's choice, decided to be her friend, but somehow he'd ended up sharing boyfriend duties with his brother – again. "I'm sure he's waiting for you to go upstairs so that he can unwrap you for Christmas. You two can enjoy being each other's presents." The sentiment came out harsh and he didn't miss the way her lower lip immediately began to quiver.

_Shit_. Definitely not the reaction he'd been going for, but he didn't apologize.

"Stefan isn't here, either."

_Well, isn't this just great_, he grumbled derisively. "That's nice," he sneered at the fire, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he tried to stifle the irritation that'd been bubbling. Once again, Stefan was The Chosen One and the idiot couldn't even be bothered to stick around. "And where exactly is he, _Elena_?"

"He's gone," she snapped, clearly bitter over his departure. "Out. Said 'adios' for 'Navidad.'" His brows jumped at her quick retort. "Apparently Stefan has more important things to do than to sit down and unwrap anything, let alone me." Running a hand through her hair, she angrily wiped away an errant tear. "It's fine though. I've only got an eternity of Christmases to look forward to, right?"

Damon watched her, impressed and amused by the way she went from morose, lost puppy to bitter, pissed off vampire complete with eyes blazing furiously.

For about half of a second, he was perfectly fine with not being Stefan.

Damon was also fairly certain that he knew where his brother had gone – and he wasn't entirely pissed about it, all things considered – but that didn't stop him from wanting to kick Stefan's ass for being a dick and leaving Elena alone and miserable on a holiday that clearly still meant something to her.

_Jesus, this is pathetic_, Damon thought, silently cursing himself. He hadn't even gotten the girl, but she still had him so fucking wound around her little finger that he was sitting on the goddamn floor thinking evil thoughts about her boyfriend like some high school Mean Girl.

Not that he would bolt even if she were to cut him loose. He was completely gone on her and he knew it.

A part of him hated it – he shouldn't have given a damn. It was Stefan's problem and it was Stefan's mess and Damon knew that he should have just left it for his brother to deal with whenever he chose to once again grace them with his presence. Elena had made her proverbial bed – she'd picked the Salvatore who wouldn't fucking stay put – and now she had to lie in it. Damon really shouldn't have given a damn.

But he did.

At the end of the day, he and Elena were friends and he didn't have many of those – at last count, he was down to one – so he shook off the pity party and hauled himself to his feet. "Get up," he said, gesturing toward the door. "We're leaving."

She scoffed, laughing bitterly as she glanced at him. "And where exactly is it that we're going, _Damon_?"

He almost smiled at the way she saucily threw his own words back at him. She had a fire that Stefan obviously didn't know what the hell to do with, but again, that wasn't his problem.

What _was_ his problem – what had always been and would probably always be his goddamn problem – was trying to put a smile on the face of this girl that he was still bat shit crazy about.

"Come on," he urged as she continued to stare at the dancing flames. She bit her lip, quirking an eyebrow in obvious consideration, but didn't make a move. Cocking his head, Damon decided on a different course. "Fine," he told her with a nonchalant shrug. "Sit here and wallow." Turning his back on her, he grinned as he walked away, knowing full well that in about _three…two…_

"Wait." Pausing at the doorway, his smirk widened. He knew it. Wallowing simply wasn't Elena's style – it hadn't been when she was human and certainly wasn't now that she'd joined the ranks of the undead. "I'll come with you."

Looking over his shoulder, he flashed his cerulean eyes, enjoying the way she gulped a little too much for her own good. "Then get off of your ass and let's get a move on."

* * *

Elena was quiet for most of the trip, but the silence was comfortable, natural just like most of their little roadtrips were. She grew bored quickly however, apparently needing something to focus on rather than being trapped in her own head. She reached for the radio and Damon stifled a groan; he didn't want to hear any of the five-song Christmas sets that repeated on a fucking loop, no matter what station he switched to. There was only one holiday song he liked and it hardly ever played.

True to form, that was exactly what happened. Growing annoyed after only twenty minutes, he shut the radio off.

"Why'd you do that?" Elena asked incredulously.

Shrugging, he replied. "They never play the good ones."

"And what are good ones? '_Rocking Around the Christmas Tree_?'"

"Fuck no. _That_ one drives me up the walls."

Several guesses later, she still hadn't succeeded in naming one he could tolerate.

"_Silent Night_?"

"Not as rage-inducing, but no."

She huffed, throwing her hands in the air. "Well, which songs _do_ you like, Damon?"

He eyed her briefly before turning his attention back on the road. "Only one."

"Which one's that?"

His favorite song had been written in the early 1900s, a beautiful melody that still managed to evoke Christmas cheer in him whenever he heard the song. He had no idea why he loved it, but it was the only one that made him feel _anything._ Eyeing her again, he revealed, "_Carol of the Bells._"

Damon cautiously pulled into the empty, black-iced parking lot an hour later. "So, _where_ are we, exactly?" Elena asked as she stared out of the window at the heavily forested landscape.

"The Shenandoah Valley," he explained, watching confusion flash over her features before adding, "There's somewhere here I want to take you. A place I think you should see." He shut his car door just as she climbed out.

"Okay," she replied warily, buttoning her coat all the way up to her throat against the frigid three degree weather. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Damon led the way toward the cave opening, eager to get them both inside. Vampire or no, Elena's nose was as red as Rudolph's and he freaking _hated_ the cold.

They walked right up to the entrance, speeding past the cameras by the guard booth. The Endless Caverns were conveniently closed for the holidays, so there were no guards to compel as they entered the dark caves. Glancing at Elena, he accepted her silent shrug as permission to commit a little destruction of property, ripping the weak wooden boards off of the opening to the deeper tunnels. Stepping through the entrance, they were immediately greeted by gigantic stalactites hanging down from the ceiling and stalagmites thrusting upwards from the floor.

The caves were lit through small holes in the ceiling; normally a human would have needed flashlights, or construction lamps to guide the way, but with a vampire's vision, Elena and Damon didn't need the extra assistance as he led her down the well-worn path for a solid fifteen minutes before really getting into the heart of the caves.

He wasn't sure if what he wanted to show her would distract her from the typical idiocy of his brother, but this place that meant something to him and he thought – hoped – it would do the trick. "We're almost there," he told her.

"Okay," Elena said as he smirked at her trusting nod. Her pace slowed slightly as her dark eyes absorbed their surroundings with blatant curiosity. Her voice was nonchalant as she said, "This place is really cool, Damon." He felt the weight on his shoulders lighten. Score one for Damon Salvatore.

The two kept silent as they pressed forward until, emerging from an unspectacular tunnel, a giant room spread out at their feet. Damon grinned at Elena's small gasp. That was a good sign.

"Damon," she breathed, taking in the grandeur of the space. "What is this place?"

"_This place_," he explained, "Is Cathedral Hall. It's one of the many network destinations inside of Endless Caverns." He couldn't get over the fascination that was twinkling in her doe-like eyes. "You like?"

"It's beautiful," she murmured, turning in a slow circle on the well-worn path as she took in the colorful, glistening rock formations growing from the ceiling and floor. The soft smile of genuine pleasure on her face surpassed the natural beauty of the room, however, and it was all Damon could do to keep from staring himself. "How'd you find it?"

"They started doing tours here in the early 1920s, but I stumbled across Endless Caverns a few years before," he said, taking her elbow and guiding her through the massive cavern, eager to show her what they really came here for, what he hoped would turn her day around. "Goes to –"

"Wait," she interrupted, clutching at his jacket like an eager student. "Endless Caverns? Is it _really_ endless, or –"

"They haven't found an end to it yet," he admitted with a chuckle, pleased that she was interested. "The farthest they got was five miles and when it didn't show signs of ending, they chose to head back. Apparently it goes on and on and on…"

"I get it," she grinned and he was helpless to do anything but return the expression. Looping her arm through his, she unbuttoned her jacket with her free hand. "It's warm down here."

"Well, it's warmer than outside anyway," he acknowledged. "Caves stay at a constant temperature, usually around 55 degrees; which is good because I don't want you freezing and ruining the interior of my car while you defrost on the way home." He cocked a brow when she shot him a playful glare. "Come on, it's just a little bit further."

* * *

Twenty minutes of light conversation – most of it being Damon's attempt at keeping her distracted – later, he stopped just before a sharp turn in the tunnels and covered her eyes with one hand. "What are you doing?" she squeaked, her voice hitching in her surprise at being blinded.

"Trust me?"

"_Damon_," she protested, digging in her heels and leaning into him as she tried unsuccessfully to pry his hand away from her face.

"It's just around the corner," he answered with a laugh, nudging the back of her thigh with his knee, prompting her to inch forward at a snail's pace. Rolling his eyes, he wrapped his other arm around her waist. "You can take larger steps, Elena. I'm not going to run you into a wall."

"Mhmm," she muttered skeptically, although there was a lightness in her tone that didn't leave him too worried.

"No cheating, you got it?" he cautioned, keeping his hand in place as they maneuvered around the corner. "Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them."

"Yeah, well even if I did open them you'd still be –"

"Shhh," Damon lightly scolded, guiding her to a specific spot before releasing her and taking his hand away. "Okay. Now you can open your eyes."

Blinking at the sudden influx of light, Elena's jaw dropped as the cavern came into focus. A smile graced Damon's lips as her eyes widened at the majesty of the colossal room. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like a million chandeliers, sparkling in the artificial electric lights and creating an ethereal, dreamlike atmosphere. The massive stalagmites jutting from the floor looked like a glittering array of subjects standing at attendance to the crown. Her breath caught as she looked around, absorbing each new formation.

"So," he drawled, smug with the knowledge that he was succeeding in making her forget her unhappiness. "What do you think?"

"Oh, my God. It's…" she whispered, searching for the words. "It's…"

"It's like magic, isn't it?" he finished for her softly, catching her eye as she looked at him and nodded seriously. "It's got a certain charm," he agreed with a sideways grin, earning a brilliant one from Elena in return. "The name of the room leaves something to be desired, though."

"Why? What is it?"

"Fairyland," he admitted, loving the burst of laughter that erupted from her lips as she gazed around in continued, awestruck wonder.

"It fits," she giggled, reveling in the beauty of the cavern. "Thank you for bringing me here," she added, sincerity lacing her tone. "Why _did_ you bring me here?"

Damon looked away from her, eyeing the ground before looking up at the ceiling, as if looking for the answers he knew he already had but was reluctant to share. "It's a place I feel hasn't been destroyed by the things that go bump in the night," he snorted. Everything within a hundred mile radius had been tainted by something supernatural. "It's an escape, Elena," he admitted honestly with a shrug, earning an expression he hadn't yet seen from her when he told her, "I think you need one. At least for a little while, anyway."

"I think we all need one," she agreed. "Especially those of us who have an eternity of the things that go bump in the night in our future."

"Yeah, when you mentioned how you'd have an infinite number of Christmas's to look forward to, I knew this was the place to take you," he revealed, leaning against one of the rough, unadorned walls of rock, gesturing to the enormity of the glistening room. "This place, it…" he paused, running his hand through his stark-black hair. "Everything out there…it changes and sometimes…the prospect of eternity gets a little overwhelming."

Tearing her gaze away from the scenery, Elena leveled him with an unexpected expression of understanding. "These rocks take hundreds of years to form, right?"

"Right."

"And being here helps put it all in perspective?" she asked, her eyes softening as she looked to him for confirmation.

"It does," he agreed with a nod as the atmosphere suddenly felt far heavier than he'd intended. Clearing his throat, he banished the daunting reality of eternity to the far recesses of his mind and forced his lips into a smirk. "But, the truth is, I really just couldn't have you moping around the night before Christmas."

A brief flash of pain crossed her features and he wanted to kick himself for ruining the moment. He scrambled for a way to change the subject, but she spoke before he could open his mouth. "You seem to have a talent for making me feel better lately," she admitted, taking his hand and curling her fingers around his. She stared at him, her voice soft and her eyes inquisitive, as if he was some kind of riddle she couldn't quite figure out. "I mean it, Damon. Thank you."

He held his breath as half-formed notions flitted through his mind, ill-advised hopes and heartbreaking dreams that he couldn't bury. _Fuck_. This was why he'd never leave – this look in her eyes and trust in her touch. He'd wait – wait until the Endless Caverns turned to dust and there was nothing left but the two of them on a barren, flat plain.

God help him, but he'd wait.

He managed a surprisingly easy grin. "Then I've been successful today," he said, squeezing her hand. "Gold star on top of the Christmas tree for me."

"Gold star," she agreed with a genuine smile and a nod.

* * *

Time passed as they continued to explore the caverns, spending the whole night trying to prove the validity of the Endless Caverns' name. Guiding her with a hand on the small of her back, Damon eventually led Elena out of the winding, maze-like grottoes. When they finally emerged from the caves, Damon groaned at the sight of his Camaro covered under a heap of freshly fallen snow. "Dammit."

"Oh, please; it's not like it's glued to the car," she laughed, earning her a scowl from Damon as they worked together to white away the slush and chisel through the ice on the windshield. Climbing into the vehicle, Damon turned the key, bringing the radio to life along with the engine.

"Damon!" Elena exclaimed, smiling brightly at him as familiar music filled the car. "It's _C_-"

"Shh," he replied with a mock frown, turning it up as he pulled out of the lot and got back on the road that would return them to Mystic Falls. "I'm well aware." Elena shook her head, rolling her eyes good-naturedly as he added. "I told you. It never plays and I'd like to enjoy it." He kept his eyes on the road, but as the song continued to play, he grinned when Elena slipped her hand into his and whispered to him.

"Merry Christmas, Damon."

Only when the music ended, did Damon finally speak. The corners of his lips tugging upward, he smirked kindly. "Merry Christmas, Elena."

* * *

**_AN:_**_ Thank you for reading. Drama-free and without angst. Something light and fluffy for our favorite couple - and Mollie! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! ~ Kate_


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